Who's Crying Now
by AbydosGoddess
Summary: Begins in the beginning of Season 3 shortly before "Legacy" . No real spoilers. Title comes from the song "Who's Crying Now" by Journey.
1. Letter To Me

_The sun was bright and blue in the sky that day. That seems almost universal before major catastrophes. I've done a lot of research here, apparently that seems to be the case with disasters here as well. Part of me fears the day when they finally let me outside. I hope its stormy that day. I like storms. Probably because.. Sorry, I'm getting off topic. Where was I? Oh yeah, bright happy days. I had just turned twelve. My brother, Aidyn, was chasing me through the woods. We used to run through there all the time. I always ran faster, he could never keep up. I lost him and I hid in a tiny little cave. No one knew it was there but me. I was going to jump out and scare him. I saw him walk up slowly, calling my name. At that age I could not hear the fear in his voice, how frantic he was. He stopped suddenly and that was when I heard the screaming from my village. _

_I looked out to where Aidyn was and I saw three Jaffa surround him. Aidyn was a small young man, three years older than me. He was never much of a threat. They did not have to kill him. The least they could have done was make it quick, just snap his neck or something, but they didn't. They beat him, stabbed him with his own knife, then left him for dead. When they left I swear one of them saw me, looked right at me. I wanted to run to him, to do anything to save him but I was so young, and I was terrified. I stayed in that cave for days, listening to the screams coming from my home, watching my brother's dead body, hoping that he would get up. He never did. When I finally left the cave, I stood over Aidyn's body. His eyes were still open. Those blue eyes that matched mine. He was staring up and me and I stood there for a long time waiting for him to blink. Finally I looked away from him and up towards my village. That's when I saw the smoke._

_I ran back as fast as I could. When I got there I saw about two dozen bodies littering the ground. Then I looked at my house. It was nothing but smoldering ash. Its kind of ironic since that's my name. I searched through the bodies around town looking for my mother but I never found her. I still don't know the truth but I can only assume she was killed in the fire. My home was the largest in the little village and almost the whole town could fit inside. They way I figured it, though I never knew if I was right or not, those that were not killed in the initial attack were rounded up later and killed in a fire. Over those first few days I buried the bodies spared from the fire. It was a distraction, something to keep my mind off what had happened. Eventually I finished, burying Aidyn's body last. When it was over I realized that I was alone. Completely alone at twelve years old._

_A lot of those first few years were a blur, almost like a dream. I taught myself how to live. Some things I had learned as a child from Aidyn, like how to hunt and what to do with what I caught. I taught myself how to make my own clothes. In comparison my people were rather primitive. From what I have seen and read in my time here I would say we were most like the Europeans in what you called the Middle Ages. Like I said, I don't remember a lot about those first few years. I think it was defense mechanism. I know I spent a lot of time near what we called the Stone Circle. It had not been used in years, generations. No one knew what it was or what it did. I know now, but then I had no idea. The Jaffa came from ships hovering over our planet. We all knew about it. The Goa'uld had been ruling over us for thousands of years. Long ago though, we stopped believing them to be gods. I suppose that was when the trouble must have started. _

_Anyway, I spent a lot of time distancing myself from what happened, pretending as though nothing was wrong. I was happy, or so I seemed, except when I had my dreams. I had been having those kind of dreams since I was very young though so I thought little of it, until the attack on my home. I remember for months before the attack I saw it in my dreams. Sometimes I blame myself. If I had said something maybe everyone would still be alive. Then I remember that no one would have believed me, I was only a child, what did I know? More than that though, I realized that the past can't be changed. There was no point in dwelling on it now. It was easy then. It became much more difficult not to dwell on loss years later. That's a story for another time though, and if you don't know what I'm talking about you're not as smart as I thought Daniel._

_Back to my story. I have no idea how I kept my verbal, and social skills for that matter, so sharp. I remember continuing to teach myself to read. I had been learning before my mother and Aidyn died. I frequently held long conversations with myself. I was fully aware of what I was doing. It was not as if I had multiple personalities. I had to stay sharp, in case I had to negotiate with the Jaffa if they returned. They never did, at least not while I was there. Everything changed the day you showed up. I knew, the second I saw the Stone Circle moving and you in my dreams weeks before you actually showed. I knew everything would change. I just had no idea how much my life would change. When I look back on it now, I don't think I was quite prepared for what happened. I was only twenty-five years old. I had been alone for half my life. Part of me still acted, still thought at times, like I was twelve years old. You knew that though. Things have changed since then haven't they? It's been a slow change though. I owe my survival to SG-1, to you. Thank you, for everything. Now it's time for things to change again Daniel. You told me once that change was a good thing._

_**Ash**_


	2. Satan Cries Take Aim

-1When they crossed to the other side of the gate SG-1 found themselves standing in a clearing surrounded by a large wooded area. The M.A.L.P. had shown no sign of movement in the immediate area around the Stargate. The team split up, going in separate directions, in search of some civilization. As Jack made his way through the woods he came across what looked to be the ruins of a small village. There were a few houses still standing, but there was obvious evidence of a disaster in the area, a fire. As he looked around he noticed between thirty and forty different graves along the tree-line where the woods began. Jack examined the graves, they had no names on them. "It looks like everyone here is dead," Sam commented as she made her way up to Jack, coming from the opposite side of the town.

"That doesn't make sense." Jack pointed to the graves then looked back at Sam. "There's got to be at least someone who survived, or maybe he's the one that did all this." Both Sam and Jack split up to investigate the ruined houses.

Teal'c and Daniel were still in the woods, searching for any sign of life. Daniel walked made his way down the side of a hill. He looked over to his right and noticed a small opening, there was a tiny cave, covered over in moss, grass, and vines. Daniel pushed the vines out of the way and crawled inside. Once he was in far enough he was able to stand straight. By that point the light from outside was almost gone. Daniel searched around for his flashlight. After turning it on he looked around and saw small paintings on the walls. He walked through and found small papers with drawings on them. "Hey, guys I think I got something," he told the others via walk-talky. He looked through the drawings before hearing footsteps in the dark. Daniel dropped the papers and looked down into the darkness, illuminating it with his flashlight. He quietly made his way deeper into the cave before stumbling across something much more interesting than paper drawings.

He found a young woman, most likely in her early to mid twenties. She had long fiery red hair. She stood in front of him, dressed in pants made from animal hides and a thin cloth shirt. Her feet were bare and she was covered in dirt. Daniel examined her, looking for some sort of sign as to what she was thinking. She simply stood, staring at him. There was no fear in her eyes, just curiosity. Daniel took a step forward, raising his hands to show he would not hurt her. "I'm Daniel."

"Ash." Her voice was soft, but not afraid.

Daniel took another moment to look her over. She was not malnourished, she was thin, but not unhealthy. Her figure seemed rather strong, reminding him of Sam and some of the other women at the SGC. "Ash, that's a nice name."

"Who are you?" She was quick to jump to business. She stepped towards Daniel, confidence in the way she moved. It was strange to him. They had never come across anyone like this, especially after such a disaster in her home. He expected her to be afraid. Then the thought ran across his mind. He took much more caution now. She could be the one responsible for the fire Jack mentioned. She could easily be a Goa'uld for all he knew, she certainly moved with that sort of arrogance.

The fact that she had great physical beauty did not elude Daniel. For a moment or two as he watched her move he thought a little too much with his "downstairs brain". She was in good shape, and the clothes that she must have made, fit her form tightly. Though her hair was a bit dirty, the way she had it pulled back showed off her attractive facial features. Daniel watched the way she walked around him in a circle, like a predator looking at its prey. "I'm Daniel."

"I heard that already. Who are you? What are you doing here, how did you get here? Better start talking." She pulled out a small sharp dagger. "I'm quite skilled with this; I can make things very painful if you don't answer my questions."

Daniel studied her, wondering to himself if she was telling the truth or not. He did not want to find out though. Daniel followed her movements as she circled around him, never turning his back to her. After turning around so her back was to the entrance Daniel noticed some movement behind her. Fortunately for Daniel he had told Jack where he was before walking further into the cave. Daniel was about to answer when the familiar sound of a Zat echoed through the tunnel and the girl, Ash, fell to the ground. Daniel looked up at Jack and rolled his eyes. "That was a bit dramatic wasn't it?"

"Worked didn't it?"

Daniel nodded and picked up the girl before the team left the cave. He carried her back to the small village Jack had found earlier. It did not take long for the girl to come to, by the time she did they had already restrained her. When she woke up she was obviously angered by the current change of events. "Got a name?"

She looked over at Jack with a slightly confused, but mostly angry expression on her face. "Ash." She looked over the group. They did not appear to be Goa'uld, at least not until Ash's glance feel on Teal'c. "Who are you?"

"I told you, my name is Daniel Jackson," Daniel answered before Jack could pipe in with anything. He shot Jack a look that said "shut up". "We're from a planet called Earth. This is Jack, and that's Sam."

"What about him?" Ash nodded towards Teal'c with hate in her eyes. It was clear to everyone now that she was no Goa'uld. She would not look at him with hate as much as look at him as though he should be bowing to her.

"That's a bit of a long story, but he's working with us. He's on our side. We're not here to hurt you." Daniel's voice was calm, soothing. On most it worked to make them trust him.

"Do not talk to me like I am a child." She seemed greatly offended by the way Daniel spoke to her. Her comment made Jack laugh and she shot an icy glare in his direction. "What are you here for then?"

"Simple exploration. We came through the Stargate." Daniel watched her reaction, not entirely sure what to think of this girl. She was strong, much more independent than he thought when he first saw her.

"The what?" She studied him for a moment then realized what he was talking about. The circle. She remembered reading about it years earlier. It had not been used or touched in centuries. "What were you looking for?"

"We were hoping to find life here, and look we did."

"No you found death." Her answer was cold, simple. She had become very desensitized to death after what happened around her. When it first happened she was frightened, but now she does not even think about it.

"I noticed, but you're still alive," Daniel countered. "Where is everyone?"

Ash rolled her eyes and shook her head. "They all decided to go on a hike through the woods this morning, you just missed them." Her voice was dripping in sarcasm yet held a bit of what seemed like truth to it.

Jack laughed at her answer. "You said that sarcasm wasn't universal Daniel. Pay up."

Daniel shot Jack a glare before looking back at Ash. Before Daniel had a chance to ask any other questions Ash spoke once more. "Where do you think they are? Look around!" Daniel did as she told him. He knew the graves were there but the idea that only forty or so people lived on this planet seemed unlikely. Daniel looked over at her after she sighed loudly. "Sorry."

The apology seemed some what out of place to Daniel and as he looked over at the others it seemed odd to them as well. She had been so hostile, but now she was apologizing? Daniel took a step closer to her, in an almost threatening manner, a way that made Jack chuckle. Daniel was possibly the least threatening person in the… well in the galaxy at least. The girl did not seem in the least bit afraid of him. Quite the contrary actually she seemed to find them all very fascinating. "Is everyone dead?" It was a rather blunt question but she had already made a point of not treating her like a child, so Daniel was not going to.

"Yes. I think it was around fifteen years ago. I was twelve." Ash was curious as to why the man's eyes lit up with almost excitement when she said that. She had no idea what an interesting find she was for him. She was alone on a planet for fifteen years, during very formative parts of her life. Daniel would have expected a shy, withdrawn individual with little social skills. Yet, standing before him, never mind the fact that she was restrained, was a strong, powerful woman.

"Jack can I speak to you for a moment," Daniel asked without taking his eyes off the girl's bright, almost luminescent blue eyes. Jack followed Daniel off to the side, out of earshot so the girl could not hear their conversation. He felt a bit bad for leaving her with Sam, but it was short lived when he noticed them actually talking to each other civilly. "What do you think we should do with her? I mean we can't really leave her here can we?"

"She seemed to be doing fine on her own Daniel." Jack's argument was true, but she was only on her own because she had no other choice. Jack looked at Daniel, who was obviously conflicted about what to do. "I'll tell you what, I'll go back, talk to Hammond. Who knows, maybe she could be an asset to us."

Daniel nodded and Jack left the group, heading back to the Stargate. "Where's he going," Sam asked, nodding towards Jack.

"He's going to talk to Hammond about the possibility of her coming back with us."

"Who's going to what about the what?" Ash was thoroughly confused by what Daniel was saying. She never said, nor gave any hint that she wanted to go anywhere with them.

"Oh look, Teal'c something umm…. Let's just go over here," Sam said, ushering Teal'c away from Daniel and Ash.

Ash watched the two of them walk away then looked back at Daniel. "Look, I understand you have this tough girl thing going on. You're the only person here, the sole survivor of some horrible event. I get that, but do you really want to spend the rest of your life alone?"

"No. But you could have at least asked before sending grandpa off to go negotiate."

Daniel was stuck by her cold tone. She had a way with words, which was ironic because she had no one to speak to. "Fair enough, but I'm asking now. Do you want to come back with us?"

"What's it like there?" She did not want to go back to some horrible place she would die in. "Just to be clear I'm coming of my own free will and I'm not a prisoner?"

"Unless you give us reason to think you are then no, you're not a prisoner, more like a refugee."

"I don't need your pity. I'm not refugee, if I come with you it is simply because you interest me and I'm curious." She had a sharp tone to her voice. She was very authoritative. "Besides that you're nice to look at."

"Oookay." What exactly she meant by nice to look at, Daniel was unsure. Did she mean him specifically or the team as a whole? For all he knew she meant Sam. That was the wrong thing to think as Daniel's mind spiraled into a dark and rather dirty place.

"So now what, you're just going to keep me here with my arms behind my back? Or are you going to let me go?" There was no answer. Daniel was unsure what he should do at this point. The logical, almost military part of his mind said keep the zipties around her wrists until they got her back to the SGC. He was firmly against removing restraints from strange alien women. Last time had ended rather badly, although some parts of that experience Daniel would not be against trying with this girl, were he a more shallow man. "Daniel!" He snapped back to reality when he felt something hit the back of his knee and before he knew it he was on the ground and Sam and Teal'c had run back over, ready to retaliate.

"What happened?"

"He wasn't listening, I was trying to get his attention."

Daniel stood and looked over at Sam and Teal'c letting them know that everything was okay. It was at that moment Daniel realized that he could not, for one second let his guard down around this woman. "What now? Well, I guess we wait here for Jack to come back and let us know what General Hammond said." He sighed loudly, pushing his glasses back up on his nose. "As far as your restraints, I think it would be best if they stay on until we get back to the SGC."

The girl rolled her eyes but did not protest. Sam and Teal'c continued to look around, hoping to find some other sign of human life, even though Ash insisted she was the only one. She stood in the same spot for three hours, listening to Daniel go on and on about something. She was not really listening. Ash was more distracted by the fact that there were actually people there talking to her and she was no longer forced to talk to herself. "Are you always like this," she asked after a while. She wanted to test out her social and verbal skills but Daniel was talking so much she could not get a word in.

"Danny!"

Ash was almost more excited about Jack's return than Daniel was. It meant that he would talk just a little less, or at least less to her. She gave Jack a look that said 'save me'. "Enjoy your bonding time Daniel?"

"Huh?" Daniel had not seen the look, the plea from Ash. "What did Hammond say?"

"It took a lot of convincing that she was some raving lunatic, a fact I'm not sure of yet-"

"I resent that! So I have rather long winded conversations with myself and rather heated arguments, I resent being called a lunatic, let alone a raving one!" As she went on with her rant Daniel looked over at her and took several miniscule steps away from the crazy woman.

"Well that was a convincing argument. Now I am completely sure of your sanity."

"Not only can you recognize sarcasm but you can deliver it too. I would have thought you were too old for something like that." After this Daniel, Sam and Teal'c took a step back, as if waiting for a fight to break out.

"Keep going, we'll see if you get to go through that Gate."

"And miss out on Daniel's life story. How will I ever survive?"

"Well Daniel, looks like our work is done. Clearly she doesn't want to come with. Let's go." Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c turned and began to leave. Ash stood there, about to cross her arms in front of her chest when she realized they were leaving and she still had the restraints around her wrists.

She rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh, one that caught Daniel's attention. He slowed but did not turn around. "Wait," she called out reluctantly. "I'll go."

"A little enthusiasm please," Jack said as he turned to face her, triumphant smile on his face.

"Can I please, oh please, go with you?" She rolled her eyes again, waiting for an answer.

"Yes you may, now that you asked so nicely."

Ash caught up with Daniel, who was there to help her balance, since she lacked the use of her arms, in case she fell. Which she did about half way to the Gate. Ash tripped over a tree root and expected Daniel to catch her as she fell forward. The ground caught her instead. "Sorry, did you trip?" Daniel helped her up, smiling devilishly.

"The dirt just looked so interesting, I thought I'd get a closer look." They continued on in silence to the gate. Ash had never seen the thing in use. As she stood there, the only one left on her side was Daniel. "Something tells me this is a horrible trick and I'm going to be vaporized or something. Why should I believe this is safe?"

"Because Jack, Sam and Teal'c just walked through willingly. If it were going to kill them we would have sent you first." Before she had a chance to respond Daniel shoved her through the Gate.


	3. Fill The Land With Smoke

-1Ash was a bit relieved when she realized she was still alive as she appeared on Earth's side of the Gate. She saw Jack, Sam, and Teal'c standing at the bottom of a ramp with a man she did not recognize. Others were surrounding them, and Ash was not sure what they had in their hands but something told her they were weapons. She looked over at Daniel as he came through, almost running into her. She was lucky she did not fall over when she came through, her arms were still tied behind her back. "Fortunately for you I have no use of my arms right now," she snapped at him. Daniel simply stood there smiling. "Unfortunately I do have use of my legs." Before Daniel could respond she started kicking at him. It really got her nowhere as she lost her balance after the first kick and went down, slamming the back for her head into the ramp.

Daniel stood over her with a smirk on his face. It brought a slight smile on his face to see her like that, getting what came to her. Daniel was not the kind of person to laugh at her though. Jack on the other hand was at the end of the ramp laughing hysterically. "You done?" Daniel reached down and helped her up. He helped her down the ramp so she would not lose her balance again and the two stopped in front of General Hammond. "General this is-"

"Something tells me she's capable of introducing herself Dr. Jackson."

"Yeah," Ash added indignantly, sticking her tongue out at Daniel. She looked at General Hammond and smiled faintly. "I'm Ash."

"General George Hammond," he answered her with a nod. "It is very nice to meet you. You understand if we keep the restraints on for just a bit longer. We've been tricked before and do not want to take any chances." Ash nodded, though she was not very thrilled with the idea. She understood their precautions. General Hammond and Daniel led Ash to the infirmary where she met Dr. Janet Fraser. Dr. Fraser did a physical, took some blood, and checked for any sign of Goa'uld implantation.

"She looks fine to me General." Ash had been mostly silent while Janet was doing the tests. Daniel was a little surprised at how she reacted to authority. Why she did not act that way with him or Jack, Daniel was unsure. Perhaps it was because they did not appear to have any kind of authority. She gave Jack a bit more respect than she gave Daniel, but she almost revered General Hammond. "I think its safe to take these things off of her." General Hammond nodded and Janet removed the zipties.

Ash rubbed her wrists, which had small red marks on them now and smiled almost shyly. "If it is all right with you Ash, we would love to know more about you."

"There is not really a lot to know General." Her answer was simple and to the point. She had never talked about what happened to her family, her people and she was not about to start now. "I've been alone since I was twelve. There is not really a lot to say about it. If you must know, it was a Goa'uld attack, now please respect my wishes. That is all I want to say about it."

The way she spoke to Hammond was very professional. Daniel wondered where she learned that if she was alone for so long. He did not realize that the twelve years she was around people, she was raised to respect those in authority. Hammond nodded, respecting the girl's wishes. "Why don't we get you cleaned up then," Daniel chimed in.

"What's wrong with me?" Ash did not realize she was covered in dirt. She had always been that way. She looked down at herself then up at Daniel. She rolled her eyes and Sam showed her where she could take a shower. She came out wearing blue pants and a black t-shirt. There was no one to meet her when she got out so she wandered through the halls until she noticed Daniel sitting at a table in the commissary. He had his back to her and Ash smirked as she walked up silently behind him. "Better?"

Daniel nearly jumped out of his chair. He had been reading some of the old books they had taken from Ash's home. When Daniel was lost in a book he truly was. He was oblivious to the world around him so when he heard Ash's voice so close it surprised him. He looked up and saw her. She looked like a completely different person almost. Her hair was still pulled back, but it was clean and brushed. She actually looked like she belonged at the SGC. She really fit in well. "Yeah. Not that… not that you looked bad before but… I just… good."

Ash did not really understand the concept of being nervous around the opposite sex. By the time she was old enough to enjoy the company of a man, there were none around. She sat down across the table from Daniel and glanced up at him. "Those from home?" Daniel nodded and Ash smiled a little. They did not have many written records but they had an extensive collection of mythology and legends. She remembered growing up and listening to her brother tell her ghost stories. Ash was always fascinated by them.

"This is really fascinating stuff. A lot of the stories are similar to stories we have here." Daniel looked up from the book and noticed the way Ash looked around almost as if in awe. "Bit of a shock, I bet. Being alone for so long then suddenly thrust into the world." Ash looked at him but said nothing. She simply smiled.

"I wanted to apologize for being so hostile before. Its just… the last time someone visited my planet they killed everyone." She sighed loudly and continued to look around. It was a strange sensation. While she was not being waited on hand and foot, she did not have to do everything for herself.

"Don't worry about it, we all understood. I was a little surprised though. I mean, you're how old? You've been alone for so long, but you're incredibly articulate. I was shocked."

Ash laughed. It had shocked her too. "I remember my mom used to say that I was smarter than the other children. I never really fit in with the others. I was always reading or spending time with my older brother. He used to take me hunting. I never was like any of them." There was a distant, almost pained look in her eyes as Daniel watched her speak. "After they died I just… It sounds crazy but I spent a lot of time talking to myself."

"Its not crazy," Daniel answered, almost interrupting her. "You did not want to lose those skills. They were all-"

"All I had left." Ash stared at him for a moment, seeking some sort of answer as to who he was. He did the same and they were silent.

"You hungry?" He needed to change the subject, it was almost an awkward silence between them. She nodded, but said nothing. Daniel stood and got her a turkey sandwich and some Jell-O. Ash simply stared at it. "Its safe and tastes… well you'll get used to it."

"Its moving." Ash poked the Jell-O with the fork. "Should it be moving? Is it still alive?"

Daniel laughed and shook his head. "It was never alive to begin with Ash." The look on her face was priceless as she poked the Jell-O with her fork again.

"Then why is it moving?"

It was a logical question to someone unfamiliar with Jell-O. Daniel could not stifle the laugh, to which Ash responded with a glare and angry poke at the Jell-O. "Its jiggly? Trust me Ash, its safe and its not going to attack you."

"Why should I trust you," she asked simply, looking up from her food.

"Have I given you a reason not to?" Daniel smirked and barely caught her smile as she looked back down at her food and decided to go for the turkey sandwich first. After she finished her food she looked up at Daniel, who was reading again.

"Thank you," she said softly. It was the softest, kindest Daniel had heard her voice. He started to believe that maybe she was not as cold as he thought. She tried not to yawn but it had been a long day. She did not want to show that she was tired though. She wanted to look around some more but she was exhausted.

Daniel noticed the yawn and smirked. He stood and took her tray away. He came back and offered her his hand. Ash took it and stood up slowly. "You should get some rest. When you wake up I can show you around."

Ash looked up at him and nodded. After spending some time with Daniel she felt bad for the way she had treated him. Daniel led her to her room. They passed by Teal'c's room, which was next to hers. Ash walked into her room, thanked Daniel and closed the door. She sat down on the bed for a long time before leaving her room once more. She went next door to Teal'c's room. The door was open but she knocked anyway. Teal'c turned to face her and she saw him smile. "Hello Ash."

"Hello." She bit her bottom lip and looked down for a moment. "Is it all right if I come in?" Teal'c nodded politely and Ash entered the room. She looked around at how it was decorated. Hers was not, though they did not know how to decorate it. "I… I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier."

"There is nothing to apologize for Ash. Many people think the same thing when they see me. You had a right to be cautious."

Ash nodded. There was a long, awkward silence. "Maybe you and I… we could… test my skills sometime. I'm a pretty good fighter, at least my brother used to say that. I would love to learn from a real warrior."

"Indeed. I would be honored to teach you." Ash smiled, nodding to him before she left his room. She looked through the drawers in her room. Her hair hung in her face after she took the band, that held it back, out. After looking through almost all the drawers she found a pad of paper and a pencil. Ash sat down on her bed and began to draw. The first thing that came to mind was Teal'c standing in his room.


	4. Thought It Was a Nightmare

-1Everyone was content with letting Ash sleep until she was well rested, but after eighteen hours and no word from her, General Hammond sent Jack and Daniel to go check on her. They opened the door and found her half sitting, leaning against the wall, half laying on the bed. Surrounding her were dozens of drawings. The entire pad of paper she had found was empty. Both Jack and Daniel picked up several of the pieces of paper and looked them over. Each contained very detailed drawings of the events of the past day. Every detail was contained in them. There was one of Sam and Teal'c looking over the town, one of Daniel standing in front of her in the tunnel where he found her. One of Jack laughing at something Daniel said. They were almost like photographs.

"She's pretty good," Jack commented.

Daniel looked over at Ash, who was still sleeping, then back at the drawing in his hand. It was a picture of him sitting at the table in the commissary reading through the book he found. He did not even remember her looking at him for that long. "Yeah." Daniel's voice was somewhat distant. He was thinking about what Ash had said the day before about being different from the other children. "I think she's eidetic."

Jack turned to Daniel with a puzzled expression. "Isn't that a sled dog race in Alaska?"

Again, Jack managed to astonish Daniel with his comments. The archeologist simply rolled his eyes. "Not the Iditarod Jack, eidetic, as in eidetic memory."

"What?"

"Eidetic memory. It's almost like a super powered photographic memory. She can remember almost everything she sees in incredible detail. A lot of times people are also able to remember most of what they hear. No wonder she does not like talking about what happened. She can still remember it as clearly as if it just happened."

"Don't you knock? I could have been naked."

"But you're not."

"I could have been."

"But you're not." Daniel did not seem to understand what she was getting at. He had forgotten quite a few times that she was actually a girl, and how to act around most women. The women at the SGC were different, they were not really women in his eyes.

"I COULD HAVE BEEN!"

"But you're not!"

"All right we get it… we should have knocked," Jack interrupted to end the childish bickering between the two of them. "What are you two, five?"

"In my defense I've been alone since I was twelve. I don't know how I should act."

"Not good enough," Jack said simply, glaring at Daniel. "And you shouldn't encourage her." Daniel just sighed as Jack left.

Daniel looked over at Ash, who stood, her hair was a bit messy but once she stood it fell straight again. She walked up to him, picking up the pictures. Ash stopped in front of Daniel, looking up at him as she took her papers back. "Honestly, would you have minded?"

Daniel was caught completely off guard by her question. He was not sure how to answer that without admitting to it or offending him. "I… uhh… well I… that's not important." He quickly turned and began to walk out of her room. She stood there watching him for a moment with a smile on her face. He did not answer but by doing that he said much more than he intended.

"Did you like them," she asked, just as Daniel got to the doorway. He stopped and turned around, unsure of what she was talking about for a moment. "The pictures. Did you like them?"

"You're very good." Daniel walked back to her and looked down, catching that luminescent glow of her blue eyes. "How well do you remember things Ash?"

"What do you mean?"

"How well do you remember things? These pictures, they're very detailed. You had to have done them all from memory right?" She nodded, but still did not understand what it was that Daniel was asking. He nodded to her silently but said nothing else about it. "So you ready for that tour sleeping beauty?"

"My name's Ash," she said simply. She did not understand the reference. Ash was still unfamiliar with stories of Earth.

Daniel laughed as they walked out of her room. She was the only person walking around the SGC without any shoes or socks on. Ash had rarely worn shoes. Even when Daniel found her she was barefoot. Where she lived it did not get very cold so she saw no use for shoes. She had always been careful where to step and moved with a certain grace. She never had to worry about protecting her feet. This place was different though. She was used to the warm, soft earth beneath her feet. Here the ground was cold, hard, unforgiving. She could actually hear her feet smack against the floor as she walked next to Daniel. "It's a children's story. Sleeping beauty. A princess was put under a spell to make her sleep forever so she would not take over the kingdom."

Ash simply stared at Daniel, wondering what that had to do with her. "I don't understand. What does that have to do with me?"

Daniel laughed at her once more and shook his head. "You were asleep for almost eighteen hours. That's quite a long time. We were beginning to get worried something had happened."

"I have not been able to sleep much lately. I'm sorry if I worried you." Ash was quiet for once.

Daniel glanced over at her as they walked through the hall. She seemed a bit more distant than the day before. He did not know her well enough yet to make that assumption though. She did not look at the place with the same kind of awe that she had previously. Now as they walked she stared at the floor. When Daniel pointed things out she simply looked up and nodded. After about an hour they stopped, just outside of Daniel's office. He turned to her, looking down at her. "Is something wrong Ash?"

She looked up at him as if coming out of a trance or something. She had been lost in thought. Was something wrong with her? There were a lot of things wrong with her, none of which she wanted to explain to a stranger, though she was getting to know Daniel a bit more. He was not as mean as he had been the day before. She assumed his attitude then was only in retaliation to the way she was acting. "No," she answered quietly. She had hesitated on the answer. Ash had not known Daniel long but she could tell that he was very intuitive. She wondered if he would push the truth, but he just let it go and walked into his office, showing her around the books.

He thought she might be more excited since she seemed to like the myths and stories on her homeworld. Ash simply looked around disinterested. She was flipping through a book as Daniel walked up behind her. "Are you sure you're all right?"

She turned around and jumped. She had not realized how close Daniel was to her. It was not until that moment that she noticed how tall he really was. She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm fine Daniel, just trying to adjust." She looked away from him for a moment before sitting down on the desk behind her. She looked around the room once more and nearly fell of the desk when she saw the picture sitting next to her. She picked it up and looked at the woman in the picture, Ash's face turned pure white. "Who… who's this?"

Daniel sighed and took the picture from her. He set it back down on the desk and looked at it fondly. "Her name is Sha're. She's my wife. She was taken as a host for a Goa'uld a few years ago. Why?"

Ash swallowed hard, wondering to herself which Goa'uld it was. She looked at the picture, then at Daniel. "Just curious." The truth was, while she slept the night before she had a dream and that woman was in it. She did not say anything though. She was unsure if it would have the same result the last one did. For three weeks before the attack on her village, Ash had dreamt of it in detail, it was almost like a vision. She did not believe in those things though. It was only coincidence. Ash hoped more than anything, for Daniel's sake, that this was just a dream. She took a moment to look at the way Daniel looked at the picture. "If… if you don't mind me asking, what.. What Goa'uld?"

Daniel glanced at her, forgetting that she had read all of her villages books and had an extensive knowledge of who the Goa'uld were. "Apophis' wife, Amonet." He studied her reaction. Her face was already pale from seeing the picture, now if it was possible she grew more pale. She was hiding something but Daniel did not want to push it.

"I'm sorry. The way you look at her, you must really love her." Daniel nodded. The redhead smiled faintly, glancing down at the floor. "I've never felt that. I mean, I loved my family, my mother and my brother. But that kind of love I never felt. You're fortunate to have felt it." Daniel nodded. For a long time there was nothing spoken between them. Daniel simply watched her sit on the top of a table in the corner reading one of his books. They sat there for several hours in silence before Sam knocked and stood in the doorway.

"General Hammond wants us in the Briefing Room."

Daniel nodded as he stood. He looked over at Ash, who seemed confused. "I'll be back in a bit. You can look around if you want. Just please, if its not a book, don't touch it."

Ash was content with staying put and reading the book she had in her hand. After a few minutes when she sat alone she glanced up at the picture of Sha're. She set the book down next to her and walked over to Daniel's desk where the picture was sitting. Ash picked it up and sighed loudly. For a moment tears filled her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. Ash set the picture down and walked out of Daniel's office. She headed back to her room, after picking up more paper. When she could not think of anything to do, she drew. Ash sat down on her bed, her knees bent and the paper sitting against them as she went to work. She sketched a small picture of Daniel holding the photograph of Sha're. She was in there for a few hours, more pictures scattered around her. When she looked up she noticed Daniel standing in the doorway, leaning against it with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Can I come in?" Ash nodded and sat up. She stood quickly and began to pick up the pictures. Daniel bent down and picked up a few of them. He leafed through them before stumbling across the one of him and Sha're's picture. Daniel looked up at Ash and smiled. "You really are an amazing artist Ash." He handed her the pictures and she set them on top of the dresser.

"Thank you." Ash looked down for a moment, wondering how to break through this awkward silence. "What was your meeting about?"

"You. General Hammond said that you could help me with some research, if you wanted to. He also said that once your trained with the weapons, and Teal'c clears you, that you can come with us on a couple missions off world, if you want." Ash tried to hide the smile, but she could not. After a moment she gave up and her face lit up. "Something tells me that won't take too long." He sighed loudly and glanced down at his watch. "I have to head home, its getting late. If you can't sleep, I can recommend talking to Teal'c. He's a good listener." Daniel gave her a hug before he left, an action that clearly left Ash confused.

"Thank you, Daniel," she said quickly just as he got to the door. Daniel just turned around and smiled before he left. Ash waited for a moment, making sure that he was really gone. She took a few deep breaths. "Don't hate me. Please don't hate me," she whispered.


End file.
